Syria war latest: Assad regime toppled as rebel fighters seize control of Damascus

Qatar’s minister of state Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi said his country will be “fully supporting the political process under UNSC resolution 2254,” reported Al Jazeera.

The UNSC Resolution 2254, adopted in 2015, calls for a ceasefire and political settlement in Syria.

“We are fully moving towards systematical, but also procedural steps that will provide stability to preserve unity and the territorial integrity of the Syrian people,” al-Khulaifi said at the Doha Forum, at a panel titled Taking the Stand: Strengthening International Humanitarian Law and Accountability.

“The conflict is between the Syrian regime and the Syrians themselves, not between Syria and other countries. Therefore we’re fully supporting any pathway that provide resolutions for those issues.”

This is the first time that opposition forces have reached the outskirts of the Syrian capital since 2018, when the country’s troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege.

The approaching fighters are led by the most powerful insurgent group in Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Both have been entrenched in the northwest. They launched the shock offensive on 27 November with gunmen capturing Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the fourth largest.

US president-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad had “fled his country” after losing the support of “protector Russia”.

“Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer,” he posted on Truth Social.

“There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started, and could go on forever. Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success. Likewise, Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians. There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin.

“Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse. I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!”

A recap of what has happened so far on a seismic morning for Syria:

Syrian rebel fighters have claimed control of the capital Damascus, and have declared it “free of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad”.Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who ruled for 24 years after succeeding his father, took a flight from Damascus and has fled the country. It is unclear where he is.Prime minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said the government was ready to ‘extend its hand’ to the opposition, and that he remained at home in Damascus for transition talks.Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani said public institutions will “remain under the supervision of the former prime minister until [government] is handed over officially”.The Syrian army said its forces were continuing operations against “terrorist groups” in the countryside of Hama, Homs and Deraa, areas that have witnessed escalating clashes in recent days.

Fears that the conflicts sparked by the 7 October attacks would embroil the region have, until now, proved unfounded – but the fall of Aleppo is a sign that simmering enmities are being exacerbated in ways that may yet have global consequences.

The Israeli military has issued a statement saying that it does not plan to intervene in events taking place in Syria, reported Reuters.

It said it has deployed additional forces to its UN-monitored buffer zone with Syria and at a number of points necessary for defence in light of the latest events in the country.

The Syrian prime minister said that Syria should have free elections so the Syrian people can choose who they want, reported Reuters.

He also told Al-Arabiya that he has had contact with rebel commander al-Golani on how to manage the current period.

The Syrian army said its forces were continuing to press ahead with military operations against “terrorist groups” in the countryside of Hama, Homs and Deraa, areas that have witnessed escalating clashes in recent days.

The statement comes after rebel forces announced on television that president Bashar al-Assad has been overthrown and all prisoners were to be freed.